Events Calendar

The Strauss Center at The University of Texas at Austin is excited to partner with the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative to host another regional round of the Atlantic Council’s renowned cybersecurity policy competition, the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge.

This stand-alone event will take place at The University of Texas School of Law on Saturday, January 31 – Sunday February 1, 2026, with teams vying for a title that includes, not just bragging rights, but also a cash prize for the top three teams. Included in the two-day event will be opportunities for professional development with cybersecurity experts in the public and private sector. The weekend will also feature a keynote speech that dissects the intersection of cybersecurity, intelligence, and the legal and governmental processes that impact and are impacted by both cybersecurity and intelligence.

This is a simulation-based, judge-graded competition in which teams consisting of three to four students (who can be either graduate students or undergraduate students, from any disciplinary background) collaborate to provide policy analysis and recommendations in response to an evolving, fictional fact-pattern relating to cyber crisis and conflict. The competition is designed to reward substantive knowledge across a range of areas, including any number of policy domains as well as insights from technology, business, and law. The competition also rewards both written and spoken communication skills. The event is on the record and proceedings may be photographed and recorded for public use.

Applications will be open from November 3rd, 2025 – December 8th, 2025. Learn more about the registration process and other Cyber 9/12 challenges with the Atlantic Council. The application process is competitive. For more questions about the Austin Regional Cyber 9/12, please proceed to the event URL or contact Susan Crane at scrane@austin.utexas.edu.